Visual AIDS utilizes art to fight AIDS by provoking dialogue, supporting HIV+ artists, and preserving a legacy, because AIDS is not over.

"There were conflicting responses to AIDS when it hit. Fear. Blame. Homophobia. Guilt. Denial. A sense of doom. There were also heartwarming offers of care, often from strangers. Quilts. Ribbons. Memorials. Banding together. And running away. Some who were sick withdrew, some partied. Some said good bye and tidied things up, some maxed their cards and danced. Some got sicker and sicker while friends either vanished or attended, and wept. Some took their lives alone or with the help of others who hated what they were asked to do. Confusion. Despair. Hope. Anger. Activism. Protest. Exhaustion. Enormous sadness. It was a very hard time, when we learned a lot about truth and love. Thank god for the art." Philip Yenawine
Browse Work In The Artist Registry
Apr 2, 2025
Journal

In the Eternity of His Life: On Vittorio Scarpati, Joy, and Love

In 1989, Vittorio Scarpati (1953–1989) produced a suite of intricate and expressive drawings while hospitalized at Cabrini Medical Center. The drawings were exhibited the same year in exhibitions organized by his wife, Cookie Mueller, at 56 Bleecker Gallery and his friend, Nan Goldin, at Artists Space. Michele Bertolino reflects on the euphoric undercurrent that shines through Scarpati's work. → Read More
Mar 28, 2025
Journal

Dreaming Snakes: Acts of illusion and protest in the work of Sergio Hernández Francés

Research Fellow Jorge Bordello presents the work of Mexican artist Sergio Hernández Francés (1964-1995), who worked across multimedia theater, performance and video. Connecting his early work as an actor and his collaborations with the rock band Santa Sabina to his later experimental video work, Bordello illuminates Sergio’s wide-ranging influence on Mexican cultural history—from the ‘rock en tu idioma’ movement, Mexican video art, and literature. → Read More
Mar 12, 2025
Journal

Miss Kitty Litter Green: Spirit Sister, Glamor Goddess

On the 30th anniversary of her passing, Visual AIDS Research Fellow Avik Sarkar discusses the life and work of Miss Kitty Litter Green (1962-1995), a trans feminine and gender nonconforming visual and performance artist. Through interviews, archival materials, and close readings of her artwork, Sarkar pieces together a comprehensive portrait of Miss Kitty's irreverent, excessive, and radically empathetic creative practice. → Read More

Founded in 1988, Visual AIDS is the only arts organization fully committed to raising AIDS awareness and creating dialogue around HIV issues today, by producing and presenting visual art projects, exhibitions, public forums and publications - while assisting artists living with HIV/AIDS. We are committed to preserving and honoring the work of artists with HIV/AIDS and the artistic contributions of the AIDS movement.

Staff

Kyle Croft
Executive Director

Shawn Escarciga
Development Director

Blake Paskal
Programs Manager

Jacs Rodriguez
Community Archivist



Board of Directors

Marguerite Van Cook, President

Carlos Gutierrez-Solana, Vice President

Mark Quigley, Treasurer

Katherine Cheairs, Secretary

Antonio Sergio Bessa

Nayland Blake

Jim Hodges

Ricardo Montez